Light in the Darkness
by Purely Mudblood
Summary: When Hermione's life spins out of control upon a sudden realization, she finds an unexpected friend in Draco Malfoy, who helps her find light in the darkness.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first story on this account, I hope you enjoy it and I hope I go through with it :)

Oh and this will serve as my disclaimer for the entire story, seeing as I'll probably forget later on.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

It was finally over. After almost a year of on-and-off dating, Hermione finally refused to get back together with Cormac McLaggen. The breakup had been tough, not to mention the rift her relationship had created in her friendship with Harry and the Weasleys while she was dating the former Gryffindor.

"One firewhiskey please, Tom."

The young witch downed the shot quickly and welcomed the burning it sent down her throat, wishing her old friends were with her.

After the war Ron and Hermione had tried to date for a few months, but finally realized they were better off as friends – and they were great friends; it seemed almost like everything had gone back to the way it was before. Harry and Ron were working as Aurors, Ginny got signed to the Holyhead Harpies, and Hermione got a job in the Magical Law Enforcement department of the Ministry. The rebuilding of their lives continued uneventfully for a few years, until one cloudy day Cormac McLaggen had asked a twenty one year-old Hermione out to dinner.

"Now, what would Hermione Granger be doing in a bar on a night like this?"

Hermione head snapped towards the voice of Draco Malfoy, who sat down on the stool beside her.

"Same thing as you, Malfoy," she replied vaguely, ordering another shot of poison.

"Never figured you for much of a drinker," the blonde said, opting for a vodka soda. Hermione snorted.

"I never figured I'd be in this situation." Draco raised an eyebrow.

"And what situation might that be?"

Hermione sighed. This really wasn't a conversation she wanted to have, with Draco Malfoy especially. Though she didn't have any more animosity towards him, she had never told anyone about what really happened all those months ago, or why she kept going back to McLaggen; she didn't have anyone to tell.

"Well I just got out of a relationship that went on way too long, with a man who never truly cared but whom I thought had changed," Hermione blurted out before downing yet another Firewhiskey. "I lost my closest friends in the process, and to top it off I have a mountain of work waiting for me tomorrow." Draco whistled sympathetically and signalled the bartender.

"The next couple drinks are on me."

Under other circumstances Hermione would have declined, but presently she just couldn't bring herself to care. She didn't plan to get drunk enough not to be able to apparate home, but a little more alcohol wouldn't hurt…

* * *

An hour later Hermione was so inebriated Draco was afraid she would fall off her barstool. After seven shots of Firewhiskey he had told her she was drunk and should stop so she could go home, but it wasn't until she had downed her tenth that the youngest Malfoy finally told Tom it was enough. Now he was faced with a bigger problem: how to get Hermione Granger home.

"Hey Granger… Granger look at me," Hermione turned her head slightly, her faced split into a woozy grin. "Where do you live? Can you remember how to get to your flat?"

She started muttering incomprehensibly as Draco helped her off her stool, guiding her towards the exit. She could barely hold herself up though, and once outside Draco finally gave up and slid an arm under her knees to pick her up.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to take you to my place for tonight. There's no way you'll make it home by yourself."

Draco apparated them to his flat and slowly set Hermione on her feet as she gagged, throwing her hand over her mouth. He swore and quickly led her to the washroom, where she immediately threw up into the toilet.

He helped her wash up afterwards, holding her hair and splashing some cold water on her face. Hermione was half asleep as Draco helped her remove her shoes and laid her in his bed, but she managed to mumble a few words before closing her eyes.

"Thank you… Draco."

He tucked her in and took an extra blanket and pillow from the linen closet, quietly shutting the bedroom door behind him as he set up to sleep on the sofa.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you so much for the great response to the first chapter! :D So here's me trying to continue my writing, and I hope that this chapter is a good follow-up to the first :)

* * *

**Chapter 2**

When Hermione awoke the next day in a strange bed, in her previous day's outfit with a pounding headache, the first thing she did was jump right out.

"Damn it."

The night's events came flooding back to her, and she leaned against the wall, mentally kicking herself for her idiocy. Though she wasn't normally one to use foul language, there really was nothing else to say in her current predicament.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it, damn –"

The door opened with a burst of light as Draco Malfoy stepped into the room.

"Are you okay, Granger?"

Hermione squinted at the brightness and clutched her abdomen as it churned.

"Oh, damn it!"

She ran past Draco, who stood puzzled in the doorway and straight into the bathroom across the hall, heaving up whatever content she still had in her stomach from the night before. Within seconds she felt her hair being lifted away from her face and a hand rubbing her arm soothingly as Draco repeated, "It's alright, you're okay, don't worry."

Once she was cleaned up – again – he asked if she wanted some tea, but Hermione turned down his offer, saying she wanted only to go home to sleep it off.

"I think I'll just call in sick today. I mean it's not like anyone will know I'm hung over, right?"

Draco chuckled.

"Hermione Granger, hung over? They'd never guess."

She gave a small smile in reply.

"Could you… umm, I know you've done enough for me already, but would you floo to my flat with me? I sort of feel really sick…"

"Of course."

Draco led Hermione to his fireplace, where he handed her the floo powder as she called out for her flat.

Hermione's flat was small, but cozy. Everything seemed to be just right, not cramped or crowded, smelling of baking and a roaring fireplace. Turning to Draco, she said,

"Thank you, Malfoy, for everything. I don't know why you helped be but thank you. I'm home now though, so you don't worry about me anymore."

She handed him some floo powder, expecting him to leave right away, but instead he replied,

"I don't have much work today, so I'll check in on you in a few hours, okay? Usually with hangovers you throw up once and that's it, but you've already done so twice… So don't die on me, okay?" Draco said only half-serious, Hermione granting him a small smile.

"All right." Hermione conceded.

"All right." Draco said as he flooed away.

* * *

"Granger?" Draco called out as he stepped into Hermione's living room. No reply. "Are you okay?"

He opened the door to her room.

"Hermione?" He heard a groan as he approached her bed, carefully peeling back the covers.

"Head… hurts…and I …threw up again… twice…" Draco swore under his breath. She was curled up in the fetal position while clutching the pillow over her face and he couldn't help but notice how small she looked.

"I'm going to make you some tea, alright? Just – just stay here and I'll be back in a minute." Even though she was in pain, Hermione managed to throw some snark back at him.

"Where… else… am I gonna… go?"

The youngest Malfoy snorted.

"Ha, ha. Maybe I should just leave you here to deal with this yourself after all, Granger."

Hermione reached out to stop him.

"No… I'm sorry… please stay…"

Draco laughed. "I was kidding," he replied, taking her hand. "Of course I'm staying."

He came back several minutes later with a mug of peppermint tea. Setting it on the bedside table, he helped Hermione sit up before passing it to her to drink.

"Thank you."

Draco smiled. He sat down at the foot of the bed, silently watching her finish the hot liquid. Once she had downed the last drop, she lay back onto the pillows and closed her eyes as a sigh escaped her lips.

"I don't understand why I feel so sick," she opened her eyes and looked at Draco. "I mean, I know I don't usually drink anywhere near this much, but even you said this was weird, right?"

Draco cleared his throat. "Well… I don't know. Honestly, it seems to me that you've caught a bad flu," he reached out to feel her forehead, "but you don't have a fever, so yes, the fact that you still have a headache and have retched several time is strange…"

He racked his brain trying to think of what might be wrong.

"Can you remember eating something bad? Was one of your co-workers sick? Has this happened before?"

Hermione shook her head.

"No…"

Suddenly she shot up out of bed and ran to her bathroom, shutting herself in. Even more confused than before, Draco followed and knocked on the door.

"Hermione, what happened?"

He could hear her shuffling around inside, but she gave him no answer.

"Are you okay in there?" Silence. He waited a minute pacing in front of the door before giving in.

"If you don't talk to me I'm going to come in there!"

He exhaled loudly as he grabbed the knob and turned, pushing the door open. Hermione was sitting on the floor in front of the toilet with a plastic stick in her hands. She barely managed to make a sound as she looked up at Draco with wide eyes.

"I think I'm pregnant."


End file.
